


Tragedy and Acceptance

by tkdartist327



Category: Love Simon (2018), Love Victor (TV 2020), Simonverse | Creekwood Series - Becky Albertalli
Genre: Acceptance, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Family, Fluff, Gay, Gunshot, Homophobia, Hospital, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Strong Language, Tragedy, boy/boy, friends - Freeform, growing closer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 20,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24892225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tkdartist327/pseuds/tkdartist327
Summary: It's been two months since the school dance and since Victor came out to his parents. Pilar and Isabel took the news relatively well, but Armando... he's still on the fence. At least Victor has his now boyfriend Benji.While walking down the street after another one of their dates, Victor and Benji are confronted by a homophobic man... and he has a gun.When the unthinkable happens, will Victor pull through and will Armando finally realize just how important Benji is in his son's life?Basically a lot of angst, whump, tears, and family and friends being there for a very distressed boy who is worried about his very injured boyfriend. Also the possibility of everyone coming out closer than ever before through a terrible situation.This is my very first real fanfiction, so I'm excited to try out the platform! I hope you guys like the story. I know my writing isn't the greatest, but I hope you have a good read anyway. Comments are always appreciated! I don't know how many chapters this will be or if I will get on a regular update schedule, but I'll do what I can!
Relationships: Victor Salazar/Benji Campbell
Comments: 177
Kudos: 340





	1. Chapter 1

On a cool Saturday evening, Victor and Benji walk hand-in-hand down the streets of Atlanta.

They had just been on their fifth date since officially getting together, which was not long after their kiss at the dance, two months ago.

After coming out to his parents, Victor was met with mixed reactions. His mom and sister were more accepting of the bomb he dropped, although Pilar was still mad at him for cheating on Mia. She got over that after talking to Mia and learning she forgave Victor. Getting to know Benji also helped quite a lot.

Isabel, though a bit less open-minded, came to terms with the news her son had given her the very next day. She told Victor that it would take some getting used to, but she was proud of her son for telling her the truth, and she assured him she would never stop loving him, no matter who he chose to be with. He would always be her whole world, her rock. At these words, Victor had felt a huge weight lift off his chest. He felt he could breathe a little easier. Just a little.

His dad, however, is a different story.

Even with two whole months to think it through, Armando still hasn't quite accepted the fact that his son, who he raised to be, well, like himself-- a good, diligent, heterosexual Christian man-- turned out to be _gay_. The word still felt foreign and bitter on his tongue. This means he still doesn't like the idea of Benji being so close with his son. Doing the things with Victor a girl, in his opinion, should be doing.

He doesn't approve of Victor and Benji's dates, either, although Armando can't actually stop the two from going out together. Ever since he moved out of the apartment as a result of his and Isabel's separation, he hasn't had much control over what Victor does. That job has gone to Isabel for the most part, and lucky for Victor his mom approves of Benji.

But Armando just can't, as he puts it, abandon all he has been taught throughout his life to just accept the fact that Victor, his son, his pride and joy, is in love with a _boy_. He knows that he meant what he said after Victor's sixteenth birthday party about Benji and his… _partner_. He really found that he didn't care about whether they were together or not, what Victor had said made him realize that. But those were two boys he didn't know and he had no right to try and control their lives. But this, this is different. This is his son. When he talked to Victor after the party, he never imagined…it never even crossed his mind that the person he was talking to actually felt the same way as the two boys. He feels as though he has failed in some way, that he has failed God and Jesus. He still thinks that whatever Victor is going through is 'just a phase' that his son will 'grow out of', much like how Pilar grew out of playing dress up when she was little and much less… edgy.

Armando made it clear to Victor several times that he loves him with all his heart and wants the best for him, but he really believes that Victor can't possibly actually be what he says he is, and he'll realize he just has to find a nice girl to help get him out of that… 'headspace'. This, obviously, led to a very harsh argument between Victor and his father, and the two haven't really had a friendly conversation since.

Armando comes to visit often, mostly on weekends, in order to catch up with Isabel and the kids. He never, as Victor has noticed, comes when Benji is over. Victor has no idea how his father knows when Victor's boyfriend is over for a visit, but he suspects someone is telling his dad that information, probably to avoid any arguing or awkward scenarios, Victor thinks. But he also wishes his dad would come and spend some time with Benji, maybe then he would see how much Benji means to Victor, and how much Victor means to Benji. How much Pilar, Isabel, and Adrian love him and how they've accepted him into their circle.

Maybe then would the man see that even though Victor isn't dating a girl, Benji is still a wonderful, sweet, amazing person that deserves to have the respect and adoration of his boyfriend's father. Victor wishes his dad would realize that love is love, no matter who you share it with.

All these thoughts run through Victor's head as he holds Benji's soft hand in his. Victor admires his boyfriend's outfit, a dark red blazer with a white shirt underneath, and blue jeans that lead into black dress shoes. Benji always looks good in whatever outfit he's in, Victor thinks, but he admires how the boy puts in a little more effort on their dates, never overdoing it but always knowing just what to wear to get Victor's heart racing. Victor always wants to look good on their dates, as well, though Benji insists he doesn't have to dress up. Victor always does. For this particular date, the boy with cinnamon complexion chose a blue button-down shirt, black jeans, and white Converse.

Mia helped him pick the outfit, and insisted it was just the right balance of formal and casual, while still being, as she put it, 'sexy'. Victor had laughed at that. Mia and him have had a good relationship ever since he explained to her everything that was going on. He made sure to emphasize how much she meant to him, how he loves her, he really does, just not in a romantic way. He apologized for dating her in an attempt to be 'normal', and felt terrible about how things ended. He wished he could have been braver and made more of an effort to explore who he really was, instead of putting up some stupid facade to try and make himself believe he wasn't gay.

Mia took a few days, but the kind girl eventually sincerely forgave Victor, and is now one of his best friends.

Next to Felix, of course.

Despite just having a platonic friendship, they both are happier than they ever thought they could be together. They make a very good team, get along beautifully, and have a bond no one can take away from them. He was worried about Mia for a little while after they broke up. He often stressed about how he 'took some of what made Mia happy away from her', but Mia and Andrew grew closer and started to date not long after, so Victor can rest easy knowing the girl has someone to fill the void Victor left. And he's happy for them, he really is.

Heck, Andrew even stopped being a total jerk. Victor and him actually get along now. Victor still finds it hard to believe the stereotypical movie jock had a genuinely nice side to him. Maybe Mia reciprocating his feelings was just what he needed to be a nice guy.

Victor has gotten closer with all of his friends, actually. Felix finally showed him his apartment, and asks him for advice about his relationship with Lake and what he should wear for their dates. The boy will also sometimes get a tad jealous of Mia, due to the fact that Victor spends a lot of time with her, so Victor always makes an effort to give them both equal bestie time.

Because her and Felix are dating, Victor finds himself spending more time with Lake than he ever had before. She's a great girl, and he's noticed Felix's nerdiness has rubbed off on her a bit. He will often hear her reference things that he didn't even know existed. He's happy they found each other.

Victor feels so blessed to have such wonderful friends in his life. Every one of them has added something to his world he didn't know he needed.

And then there's Benji.

Sweet, understanding, caring, loving, patient, beautiful, Benji.

Benji made Victor's life complete, he made Victor understand a core part of himself that had been suppressed for so long, and made the boy the happiest he's ever been.

Finally, he could be who he really was.

Finally, he has someone to share his real self with, someone who is always there for him, who gets his sense of humor, who laughs at his cheesy romantic lines, and who loves him unconditionally.

Victor looks over at the boy in question, his swept-back brown hair gleaming in the glow of the streetlights. Benji caught Victor gazing at him and shot his boyfriend a warm smile that made Victor's face melt into a smile of its own.

And this made Benji's heart skip a beat.

Derek never made him feel this way, Benji thought. He loved Derek, but not in the same way he loves Victor. Derek would make his heart skip a beat, sure, but more often than not that feeling was replaced with one of dread when his ex would immediately follow with something along the lines of 'ugh, this is so cheesy, staring at each other all love-struck like this. Isn't this basically every straight couple's idea of romance? All lovey-dovey all the time, what are they, in a rom-com? Seriously'.

And it wasn't just Derek's obsession with 'not being like straight couples' that threw Benji off. Derek didn't seem to quite _get_ him. Sure, they were a couple, but to Benji, it didn't really feel like they really _belonged_ together. Benji believed, and still believes, that a partner should love you for who you are, and let you just be yourself, without having any grievances or negative things to say about it. By those standards, Derek wasn't the right guy for Benji.

But Victor, he was a different story. Victor was right for him, and the boy knew that as soon as they began to get to know each other. After those feelings solidified within him, they never wavered, even after Victor kissed him.

Sure, Benji had been caught off guard by the kiss, but a part of him was glad when it happened. He even kissed back a little.

But then he remembered Derek.

So he shoved Victor away, moved work locations, and avoided him at school, thinking he needed to do that in order to stop the feelings he harbored deep inside for the boy from spilling out. Because he loved Derek, or at least he thought he did, and didn't want to jeopardize what they had, even if what they had wasn't what Benji needed.

Part of him wishes he would have realized sooner that whatever he felt for Derek paled in comparison to what he felt for Victor. Maybe then he could have helped his future boyfriend find himself sooner, and the whole fiasco at the dance never would have happened.

But he shouldn't regret what happened in the past. He should just focus on the now.

Now, when he is walking down the street holding the hand of the most amazing boy he has ever met, on their way back from another amazing date, both wearing a smile of pure bliss on their slightly red faces.

'Derek never made me blush like you do, Victor,' Benji thinks.

He looks at his boyfriend again, taking in his gorgeous complexion, eyes, lips, smile, body, everything. Wow, he loved this kid. Like, a lot.

Victor looked back at Benji, soaking up _his_ wonderful... everything, and thought the exact same thing.

Victor and Benji haven't said the three big words to each other yet, but they are both waiting for the right time. The thing is, neither of them knows when that time is, and neither teen wants to say it too soon and possibly make the other feel pressured to say it back. But they want to say it. Oh, how they want to say it.

'I love you.'

They're just three words, but they feel like three of the most important words they would ever say.

Benji had told Derek those words, but he knew that saying them to Victor was a whole different animal. He wanted to make the moment special, and be absolutely sure that Victor felt the same way, or at least if he didn't, that his boyfriend didn't say it back out of guilt, or anything like that. No, he wanted-- _needed_ \--the moment to feel, to _be_ , completely natural.

Benji wants to plan the perfect 'I love you' scenario, but deep down he doesn't mind if Victor says the words first. That would mean the brunet wouldn't have any reservations and be completely free to say the words back, knowing with absolute certainty that the one he loves reciprocates his feelings. But, let's face it, Victor is a tad more reserved than Benji is, after all this whole 'gay romance' thing is pretty new to the sixteen-year-old. So Benji will most likely have to build up the courage to say the words first.

Right?

Victor, now staring ahead, fingers still intertwined with Benji's, also thinks about those three words.

Victor wants to tell Benji how he feels, but he doesn't want to come on too strong. He knows that's silly, I mean they've been a couple for two months, for crying out loud. From what he's heard about relationships, most people don't wait this long to declare their love. Felix and Lake have already said it. Victor knows he loves Benji, but declaring that too early would have felt wrong somehow. Not authentic, maybe? He doesn't know, really.

He thinks that a person has to be in a serious relationship for long enough to really get to know their partner, and have attraction slowly develop into love. Real love. He never said the words to Mia because, as he realized back when she was trying to amp up their relationship, that he liked her, but didn't feel attracted to her. Not in the way he's attracted to Benji. No, not at all.

Mia was his first relationship, sure, but she wasn't his first _real_ relationship. Benji is. And now that Victor has experienced two amazing months of being in that real, authentic relationship, the attraction he felt for Benji at first has _definitely_ developed into love. Oh yeah, he is head over heels.

He still feels nervous about telling Benji this, though. Even though he knows that it's kind of silly. Even though he knows that Benji broke up with Derek to be with him. Even though Benji has never _once_ had anything but adoration and love in his eyes every time Victor looks into them. If there is any chance that saying the words would make Benji uncomfortable or mess up their relationship, Victor doesn't want to take the chance.

He believes, or at least hopes, that the right moment will come along, and he'll just know. Right then and there. Right then he'll know that he needs to say the words, and they'll come out naturally, and hopefully he'll receive the response he so desperately craves. He just has to wait for the right moment. Or Benji will tell him first. That would be nice too. Man he's so in love.

How did he ever think he wasn't gay?

 _Gay_. The word that felt so...so _new_ on Victor's tongue just a few months ago now felt like a core part of who he is. He. Is. Gay. And dang proud of it.

Granted, Victor still isn't completely out-and-proud to the entire world yet, but he's getting there. He's not ashamed of who he is, but he still dislikes the stares some people give him and Benji when they do anything more than hand-holding. He knows he should just ignore them, who are they to judge his relationship just because it's not what they perceive as a 'normal' one?

But… he just can't bring himself to shut out the negative and suffocating thoughts these people stir up inside of him.

He just can't.

Not yet.

But he will. He just needs a little more time. At least that's what he hopes is all he needs.

Victor often finds himself fretting over the fact that he doesn't feel comfortable with PDA that goes past hand-holding, unless no one is around or they are in an area that's a little more private, but Benji insists he doesn't mind.

And, despite the nagging feeling in the back of his brain that his boyfriend isn't being completely honest with him, Victor believes him. Because he knows Benji. He knows how _painfully_ patient he is, especially when it comes to Victor. And that's why he loves him. So much.

And Victor wants to get better. He really, really, _really_ does. He wants to be better for his beautiful Benji. Someday, hopefully sooner than later, he wants to show the boy that his amazing amount of patience is paying off.

But today is not that day. And tomorrow will probably not be it either. Nor the day after that.

And Victor hopes that Benji is okay with that. Sweet, understanding, _gut wrenchingly amazing_ Benji. The one he loves more than anything.

Victor finds himself smiling involuntarily when he thinks about how lucky he is.

And Benji sees this.

"Oho, what are you smiling at, handsome? Thinking about someone?" Benji gives a teasing wink.

Victor's cheeks flush pink at being called handsome. He loves it, so much, coming out of Benji's mouth, just for him.

"Maybe," Victor replies, "Why, you jealous?"

"Well, only if he's cute."

Victor giggles.

"Yeah, really cute. Like, top ten cutest things I have ever seen. No, wait-- definitely top three."

"Oh really?" Benji shoots his boyfriend a playful smile.

"Uh, yeah. He's got this gorgeous brown hair that he keeps swept back. Sometimes a few strands will go awry and land on his forehead and I'll have to fight the urge to tuck them back in."

Benji flips his hair in response, which makes Victor chuckle.

"Uh-huh," Benji responds. "Well, don't stop there. I need to know who I'm competing with."

"Oh, man, where do I even start? First of all, he's charming. He always knows the right things to say to get me flustered beyond belief. He's also kind, and loving, and…" Victor and Benji have stopped now, staring into each other's eyes, Victor's back grazing against a building's brick wall.

"...and he's the most amazing person I have ever met," Victor finishes.

Benji didn't think his blush could deepen more than it already has, but what Victor said combined with their position and his boyfriend's _stupidly_ gorgeous face makes Benji red as a tomato. He wants to kiss Victor. Like, really bad.

"Can I kiss you?" Benji whispers. He knows that Victor isn't entirely comfortable with PDA yet, so he always asks before they do anything Victor might be uncomfortable with.

"Um, yeah, just…" Victor looks around at their somewhat crowded area, noticing one person in particular, a man in a black hoodie, who seems to be looking their direction. Wait, had Victor seen this man before? He swore he saw the same guy a few blocks back. But maybe not. He's probably just being paranoid. Victor let's his thoughts drift back to Benji, finishing his sentence.

"Just not right here."

Victor gives Benji an apologetic look, squeezing his hand. Benji just smiles, silently telling Victor 'it's okay.'

They walk a bit further until they find an alleyway on a much less crowded street. Benji pulls Victor into it right away and pins him to the wall. Victor gazes down at the brunet, both pairs of eyes filled with nothing but complete adoration for one another. Slowly, Benji tilts his head up, leaning in, and Victor meets him in the middle. The kiss is passionate and soft, the boys breaking apart after a few seconds, hands on each other's cheeks. They can feel the warmth emanating from the other's face, and they lower their hands, pressing their foreheads together lightly.

"Wow," Victor murmurs. He smiles warmly at Benji.

"Yeah," the shorter boy replies, returning the facial expression.

They are about to lean in for another kiss, but are interrupted by a voice.

"You faggots make me sick."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who is this dude who interrupted our babies' kiss? And what are his intentions? Find out in the next chapter!
> 
> I don't have an update schedule planned (I'm hoping to finish the next chapter by tomorrow) but if you guys enjoyed this chapter please let me know and that will give me incentive to get the next one out to you guys!


	2. Chapter 2

Victor and Benji's heads shoot in the direction of the voice, startled by the malice in the words and the use of the extremely offensive term. Victor grabs Benji's hand tight.

"Excuse me?" Benji spits, obviously taken aback by what the person standing in front of them said. It's the guy, Victor realizes. The one in the black hoodie he suspected had been following them.

"You heard me, *hic* scum." The man glares at the two boys with such hatred that they have to fight the urge to take a step back out of fear. He is obviously drunk, the two high-schoolers realize quickly, based on his slurred speech and the occasional wobble in his footing. The nearly empty bottle of Jack Daniel's in the guy's left hand also helps to put the pieces together. 

Realizing this fact doesn't help to ease the boys' fear, however.

In fact, it only serves to heighten it. The teens aren't ignorant, they know that this man is homophobic. They are also well aware that homophobia and too much alcohol aren't exactly a stellar combination.

Benji has experienced firsthand what it's like to be intoxicated, and he knows that being drunk can make someone… unpredictable. Benji tightens his grip on his boyfriend's hand, and he feels Victor's fingers become equally tense.

The man takes a step forward.

They take a step back.

The homophobe suddenly sneers, as if he's just had a sinister revelation. This sends chills down Victor and Benji's spines. Then their breath hitches in their throats when they see what the man then pulls out of his belt.

A gun.

He has a gun.

The drunk homophobe who's cornered them in an alley  _ has a gun. _

_ Shit. _

The two boys find themselves trying to think of a way they could get out of the situation unharmed. Maybe they could run? No, the drunkard is blocking their only way of escape. Call for help? Also probably not the best idea, they don't want to escalate the situation by giving the man a reason to get angry or defensive. Well, more than he already was.

"You dirtbags… *hic* you don't deserve to walk the streets like the rest of us. Dirtying this *hic* fine city with your disgusting lifestyle… I would be doing the world a favor…" The man slurs. These words only serve to heighten the boys' fear. They don't know what to do, what they  _ can _ do.

So they just stand there, eyes locked, stances rigid. All the boys can do is hope and pray that the pistol is just for show, just a means of scaring them. It's not like the street they're on is completely empty, either. Someone would hear the gunshot and that would cause a scene. Or another likely scenario would be someone seeing the man shoot and reporting him to the police immediately. So, unless the man  _ wanted _ to be thrown in jail for attempted murder of two teenage boys, he wasn't going to shoot.

But then the Creekwood High students remember that the man is drunk.

And most drunk people don't think clearly. They don't weigh the pros and cons. They just act.

And act is exactly what this particular drunk person does.

In a split second, the man raises the pistol and puts his hand on the trigger. He aims, an ugly, lopsided grin on his face. And Victor sees that, to his absolute horror, he's aiming for Benji.

And his body just moves.

It all happens so fast, Benji feels his stomach drop when the man aims his pistol at him, then suddenly he's being shoved from his left side, causing him to lose his balance on his already trembling legs and crash to the pavement. As this is happening, Benji hears a frantic voice shout his name, and not a second later, a deafening sound echoes throughout the alleyway.

**BANG!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no, cliffie! You guys can probably guess what will happen from the story summary, but I hope you're still eager for the next part! Sorry this was a much shorter chapter than the last one, it just felt like a good place to break it off. You know, build suspense haha.
> 
> Also THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the kind words you gave me for the last chapter, they seriously made my day and inspired me to stay up and write the next part for you guys. I'm going to start on part 3 today, not sure when I'll be finished though. Hopefully by tomorrow! I want to make the next part a lot longer, so it may take some time. It also takes me a little while to figure out how to make things make sense in the story, and make sure to word things correctly, etc, so bear with me!
> 
> One more thing! I uploaded the first chapter from my phone and this one from my computer, so that's why they have different line spacing. Sorry if that bothers anyone, I'll probably post from my computer from now on, so the spacing will continue to look like this chapter.
> 
> Anyways love you guys and I look forward to continuing the story!


	3. Chapter 3

Benji’s heart nearly stops when his frantic brain realizes what that sound was. He instinctively looks toward the source of the gunshot, the man in black now standing with the pistol pointed down. Benji thinks he sees something like regret in the man’s eyes before he quickly runs off, dropping his whiskey bottle as he does so, the glass container shattering instantly upon contact with the hard cement.

The brunette breathes a sigh of relief. But that relief is short-lived when he remembers something.

Or more like some _one_.

Benji’s head whips around, looking up to where his boyfriend stood not a minute before. But the dark-skinned boy isn't there. Then Benji’s eyes flicker downwards. And his blood runs cold.

_Oh no._

Lying face down in a heap on the ground is the love of his life, hands clenching firmly to his left side.

“Shit, Victor!” Benji exclaims, rushing to his boyfriend’s side. Now that he is closer, the teen can clearly see the pained expression on Victor’s face, eyebrows knitted together, nose scrunched and mouth slightly agape, the boy’s breaths coming out in short gasps as he writhes in agony.

Benji, eyes becoming wet with tears, grabs Victor and gently turns him over. This earns a pained gasp from the injured teen.

“Sorry, baby,” Benji says, “but I need to see the injury, okay?” He slowly pulls Victor's trembling hands from the wound, which causes the black-haired boy to cry out in distress.

"Ah-!" Benji winces at the pained yelp. At this point, his hands are trembling just as much as Victor's are. The teen tries his best to steady them as he takes off his blazer, folding it up and pressing it firmly to the afflicted area. Victor grunts in discomfort. Benji doesn't know too much about how to treat gunshot wounds, but he knows that blood loss is typically one of the main causes of death in cases like this, so staunching Victor's bleeding is the best thing he can do for his wounded partner. And Victor has already lost a lot of blood. So much blood.

Benji's troubled mind then shifts to the next important step: calling 911. He moves his unsteady hands to his pocket to get his phone, but just as he's doing this, he hears a voice coming from behind him.

"Hey! Kid! What happened? I'm a doctor."

Benji turns his head and sees a man with black-rimmed glasses and a dark green shirt moving to kneel next to him.

Benji wants to ask who the man is, but Victor is more important at the moment. Benji swallows the lump in his throat.

"He-he was shot. By some guy, just a few minutes ago." Wait. Was it really only a few minutes? They've felt like an eternity to Benji.

"Okay," the bespectacled man starts. "Let me take over putting pressure on the wound, I need you to keep him awake, got it? And don't worry, my wife is on the phone with 911 as we speak."

Benji nods, relieved that Victor will receive help soon.

Moving to Victor's right side, Benji leans down and touches the other teen's cheek. His face is hot and sweaty, and Benji prays that's just because of the trauma and not because his boyfriend is developing a fever on top of everything else. Victor's eyes flutter open at the touch, his unfocused gaze landing on Benji's tear-rimmed one.

"Hey, sweetheart," Benji coos, trying to keep his voice from wavering. It's not an easy task.

"B-Benji…" Victor manages to choke out through his labored gasps. "It--gah! It _hurts_."

The brunette's heart breaks. He has never heard Victor so frightened and in so much _pain_ before. It takes all Benji has not to start bawling right then and there. But he keeps his composure. He can't break down now. He has a job to do.

"Shh.. I know. It's gonna be okay, Vic." Benji swallows painfully. "I-I need you to stay awake for me, alright?"

"Don't… know f' I can…" Victor mumbles, his eyes threatening to close again.

"You have to, baby. _Please_. You have to, for me, okay?" Benji grabs Victor's clammy hand, not caring that it's covered in blood. Benji's hands are, too. When Victor doesn't respond, Benji panics and shakes the wounded high-schooler's shoulder. Victor coughs, and chokes out a reply.

"Ok--kay, B. I'll… try." Benji breathes a small sigh, which almost turns into a sob, until he quickly reigns his emotions back in. He starts to ask the injured teen various questions, trying desperately to keep his boyfriend conscious. Victor tries to answer each one, but he can feel himself slipping away. Man this hurts.

Victor has never been shot before. Heck, he hasn't ever even gotten a real injury before, just a sprained ankle or two during basketball, but nothing serious. Some scraped knees here and there. Some papercuts. You know, the usual. 

But as the wounded sixteen-year-old lies in a slowly growing puddle of his own blood, he wishes that he _had_ been injured more severely before.

Maybe then this wouldn't hurt so bad in comparison.

He has never felt a more agonizing pain. It takes all of Victor's willpower to fight the urge to pass out, because giving into the temptation would mean being free from the burning sensation threatening to eat him alive and the sickening feeling of his warm blood slowly pooling around him.

But he can't fall asleep.

Because Benji told him not to. And Victor always listens to Benji. Beautiful Benji, whom Victor would sacrifice anything for. Whom Victor would _die_ for.

And, Victor thinks, that's exactly what may happen. 

But, even as Victor feels the searing pain emanating from his abdomen, even as he is _bleeding out_ , the boy doesn't regret what he did. Because if he hadn't acted and Benji was the one lying in agony on the ground, Victor knows the pain he would have felt would have been _ten times_ more anguishing than the pain he feels at the moment.

Victor looks up at the other teen, vision becoming increasingly blurry and hearing slowly fizzing out, but he manages to mumble responses to Benji's questions despite this. But it's getting harder and harder to keep it up, his tongue feels like cotton and his eyelids are getting heavy.

_'Wait,'_ Victor thinks. _'I can't lose consciousness, not yet.'_ He thinks back to where his mind was less than an hour ago, how he was thinking about waiting for the right moment to come along so he could say the three words to Benji.

Now felt like the right moment.

Because, Victor realizes grimly, if he doesn't tell Benji how he feels before he closes his eyes, who knows if he will ever get the chance to tell him again.

The truth is, Victor doesn't know if he will ever wake up again after he inevitably loses consciousness. Man, that's horrible to think about. But he doesn't want to… to _die_ knowing that he never declared his love for the boy kneeling over him, trying _so hard_ to keep it together and keep him awake.

So Victor steels himself, tries to get his eyes to focus on the other teen's distressed face, and gives Benji the best smile he can at the moment.

"B-Benji," Victor starts, voice barely above a whisper. Benji is surprised by Victor's slight smile and sudden shift away from murmuring answers to his questions.

"Yeah, Vic?" Benji exhales. He suddenly becomes worried. Victor's grip on his hand is beginning to loosen, and he can see how hard the boy is trying to stay awake. He leans just a bit closer.

"Benji, I…" 

_'Come on Victor, it's now or never.'_

"I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got done with this chapter sooner than I expected! It's not as long as I wanted it to be, but I knew I wanted to stop at Victor's declaration, and I felt like everything that needed to be said before that point was said, so I decided that I was happy enough with this chapter to post it. Hope you guys enjoyed and are excited for chapter 4!
> 
> I hope that the transitions between being inside Benji's head then being inside Victor's head aren't too jarring or awkward. I am trying to make them as smooth as possible without having to explicitly say when the point of views switch, I hope I'm doing an okay job? 
> 
> And thanks for all the amazing comments so far! They seriously make my day!
> 
> Love you and see you in the next update!


	4. Chapter 4

"What…" Benji breathes. He was not expecting those words to come out of Victor's mouth. He is about to say the words back when he realizes something.

Victor's eyes are closed.

His face is slack.

His hand has gone limp.

And he's  _ not moving _ .

"Victor!" Benji lets go of his boyfriend's bloodied hand and shakes his shoulder. It worked last time, it'll work again.

But Victor still doesn't move.

He tries once more, this time a little harder. He's holding his breath.

Still nothing.

Benji loses it.

"Vic...VICTOR! VIC, PLEASE! OPEN YOUR EYES!" He screams, tears flowing freely from his eyes now, cascading down his face, making Benji's vision become blurry. "I LOVE YOU TOO!  _ PLEASE _ , BABY!" Benji sobs, continuing his desperate attempts to shake the unconscious teen awake. The brunette's body is wracked with sobs, and he hiccups, trying to get air into his lungs so he can continue to call out to the boy bleeding on the ground. Benji can hear the sound of sirens slowly getting louder in the background, but he can't bring himself to feel relief.

All he can feel is despair.

Because the love of his life has just taken a  _ bullet _ for him, is surrounded by  _ his own blood _ , and now has done the  _ one thing _ Benji didn't, under any circumstances, want him to do: fall asleep.

And now, Benji thinks through the tears and the  _ agonizing _ tightness in his chest, Victor, the one who has just declared his love for him, the one who put his life at risk for him, the one who he loves  _ so much _ , may never wake up again.

And Benji can't  _ stand _ the thought of losing him.

So he keeps trying to wake Victor up, he keeps trying until his throat is raw, until he's done everything he can think of. Then he feels a hand on his shoulder. It's a paramedic, telling him that he needs to step away, they've got it from here.

And Benji is being forced to leave Victor's side. He almost fights against the man gently pushing him away, but finds that he is too emotionally exhausted to do so. It's better to give the professionals space, anyway, he knows that. So he just stands back, his red, puffy eyes watching the paramedics tend to his wounded boyfriend. 

They work quickly, checking Victor's pulse, unbuttoning his shirt, looking over the wound and pressing gauze to the bullet hole. Within minutes, the first responders have loaded the still unconscious high schooler onto a stretcher and proceed to wheel him to the ambulance parked right by the entrance of the alleyway.

Benji follows them, coming to a stop in front of the ambulance's back doors. Victor is wheeled into the vehicle, head lolling back and forth with every abrupt movement the stretcher makes.

When he is fully in the ambulance, Benji watches as two paramedics begin to prepare him for the drive to the hospital, strapping an oxygen mask to his face and hooking him up to an IV. This is all Benji can witness before the doors to the vehicle are slammed shut, abruptly putting a barrier between the brunette and his unconscious lover.

A medic then quickly asks him a few questions such as the patient's name and after receiving his answers, tells Benji what hospital they will be taking Victor to. Benji nods, and the other man proceeds to get into the driver's seat of the ambulance.

The teen watches as the sirens turn back on and the red and white vehicle speeds off, on a mission to get Victor help as soon as possible.

Benji stares at the ambulance's slowly disappearing form until it eventually rounds a corner, effectively forcing the distressed teen to focus on what he needs to do next.

He looks at the scene around him, taking in everything. The police are there, and he sees one officer talking to the doctor with the green shirt and his wife. He tries not to let his eyes linger too long on the doctor's bloody hands, instead choosing to look back at the alleyway.

Bad idea.

Benji immediately notices the large puddle of still-fresh blood on the pavement, effectively making the teen feel like vomiting. And sobbing. And he finds that he can't stop himself from doing the latter.

Hot tears begin to form in his eyes as he thinks back to the events that just transpired. He brings a hand up to his face, turning away from the alley and collapsing onto the curbside, shoulders shaking with sobs.

_ Why _ did Victor have to be so  _ selfless _ ? So  _ stupid _ ? Benji wishes it was himself being rushed to the hospital in critical condition right now. Victor is pretty much his whole world, and he may lose him. He may  _ never _ see those beautiful brown eyes again, the ones that he frequently gets lost in for what seems like hours, the ones that belong to the person who makes his life so  _ bright _ .

Benji's head begins to pound as he continues to let the tears stream down his face. He tries to wipe them away, but they just keep coming. So the high schooler lets them fall, knowing they're the only relief he has right now. He let's them descend until it isn't possible for them to fall anymore. Until he just has no more tears to cry.

His chest hurts. He feels like someone has squeezed his heart into oblivion. He sits on the curb, staring at his hands, now stained with dried blood.  _ Victor's _ blood. Benji painfully swallows the lump in his throat, though it just comes back a second later.

A police officer walks over to the distraught teen, sitting down next to him on the curbside.

"Hey, son," he begins, voice low and sympathetic. Benji shifts his red-rimmed gaze to look at the man, letting out a sniffle. The officer's eyes soften. Though the cop has never met this boy before, he can see that the kid cares deeply for the one who was shot. He almost wants to leave the teen be and let him grieve in peace, but he has a job to do. He needs Benji to tell him some information if they're going to catch the madman that did this.

"I need you to tell me what happened, okay? We want to apprehend the man that shot your friend, but we need details of that's ever going to be a possibility," The officer finishes.

Benji winces at the word 'friend,' he is going to have to correct the officer on that. He lets out a shuddering breath. Retelling the events of the past fifteen minutes is the  _ last _ thing he wants to do right now. Honestly he would rather step on broken glass. But he knows that the more details the police have, the better the chance they have of finding the sick man who may have taken his love away from him. And that thought alone is enough to strengthen Benji's resolve. 

So he tells the man everything, how him and his  _ boyfriend _ , Victor, were walking down the street when they went into the alleyway. Benji finds himself smiling faintly at the memory of their kiss, how Victor's strong but gentle hands felt caressing his face, how his eyes shone so beautifully after they broke apart.

But that smile quickly fades away when he begins to retell what happened directly after. Benji describes what the man was wearing and any details he can remember about his face and body type. He then tells the officer about the guy's obvious motive, and how he was  _ very _ drunk. Then Benji remembers the whiskey bottle. He tells the cop about it, pointing to the entrance of the alleyway where the glass container was dropped.

The officer nods, and says that one of his partners has already picked it up as evidence. He thanks Benji for the information, and pulls out a damp towel from his waistband. He hands it to Benji, who accepts it with a small ‘thank you.’ The officer gives him a firm clap on the shoulder before standing up and walking back to his partners.

Benji sighs, turning his head to look at his hands once more, and begins to do his best to wipe the blood off of them with the towel. He saddens at the fact he can’t get all of it off, knowing that every second the brown substance stains his fingers, he will be reminded of Victor on the ground in agony. He shudders at the thought.

Benji sets the now brown towel next to him, and mentally prepares himself for what he has to do next.

He has some calls to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done with chapter 4! Sorry this took a bit longer than usual, but expect the next chapters to take about this long in the future. 
> 
> I really hope I did an okay job handling the interactions in this chapter, and portraying emotions well enough. I also hope I didn't make Benji too out of character. As you know, I have no canonical reference for how Benji would react in a situation like this, so I have to make my best guesses haha!
> 
> P.S. I have no experience in the medical field, so I am not completely sure how all this medical stuff works, but I've been looking stuff up as I go, so I hope some of this is accurate? I don't know to be honest, but just letting you know that there will probably be a ton of medical inaccuracies in future chapters. Sorry if that bugs anyone!
> 
> Reviews and comments are always appreciated! (seriously tho they make my day)
> 
> Love you, see you in the next update!


	5. Chapter 5

Benji pulls his phone out of his pocket, turns it on, and punches in his passcode. He scrolls through his contact list, stopping when he gets to the name he is looking for: Isabel Salazar. Taking a deep breath, Benji presses the call button and listens to the phone dial. He waits for a few seconds before the ringing stops and he hears a voice from the other side.

“Benji, hi. Is something wrong? I thought you and Victor were still on your date,” Isabel says. Her tone is light, cheerful, and slightly inquisitive. Benji envies her obliviousness.

“Yeah, um… yeah, we were, but…” Benji forces down the lump in his throat once again. Isabel is silent, inviting him to continue. “But we were walking, and we were confronted by a man, and… and he had a g-gun.” Benji can feel the tears well up in his eyes again, but he is determined to keep his composure. Isabel has to know what happened.

“A  _ gun _ ? Oh my god, are you guys okay? Let me talk to Victor.”

Benji winces.

“U-um, that’s the thing… you can’t. Be-because... the guy s-shot h-him,” Benji can feel his chest tighten even more and his throat begins to burn, but he continues before Isabel can interject. “Victor’s been shot, Isabel. He’s on his way to the hospital n-now. I... I d-don’t know if he’ll make i-it.” His voice cracks on the last word and he lets out a sob, a tear rolling down his cheek.

For a while, all Benji hears is silence, and he thinks Isabel may have hung up. Before he can check, however, a man’s voice, low and tense, chimes in.

“Which hospital?” It’s Mr. Salazar’s voice, Benji realizes.

“Northside,” Benji responds. He thinks he hears something that sounds like a mumbled ‘thank you’ before the line goes dead.

He removes the phone from his ear, and wonders why Victor's dad is with Isabel. He didn't think the man was visiting this weekend, since Benji was supposed to stay the night at the Salazars. Yeah, Victor wasn't the only one who noticed the Latino man's convenient absence whenever Benji planned to visit his boyfriend's house. Maybe Isabel and Armando met up somewhere? Or the man was finally going to make an effort to spend some time with Benji? Ha, yeah right.

_ 'Well, whatever the reason, it's not important right now,' _ Benji thinks.

He scrolls through his contacts once again, this time stopping when he gets to Felix's name. He presses call, and Victor's best friend picks up almost instantly.

"Hey, Benji, my man! What's up? How's your date going?" Felix cheerfully asks from the other end.

"Hi, Felix. Um…" Benji hates the idea of having to explain what happened a third time. "Victor, he… there was this guy, and, uh…"

_ 'Why is this so hard? It should be getting  _ easier _ to explain, but it's not,' _ Benji thinks.

"Is everything okay, dude? You sound off," Felix asks, a hint of worry now making its way into his voice.

"Not really, Felix. Victor--he… he was s-shot. In the stomach. He's being taken to Northside Hospital now, and… and I don't know what condition he's in. But it's  _ bad _ , Felix…" Benji feels hot tears well up once again as he finishes. He internally groans, tired of crying, tired of feeling so  _ miserable _ . But he can't help it.

"O-oh my god. How… um--Jesus, Benji, are you okay?" Benji wonders why Felix is asking if  _ he's _ okay, it's Victor he should be worrying about. But, Benji also knows that he should have expected Felix to ask something like this. It's just in his nature. Benji clears his throat before responding.

"As okay as I can be in this situation," Benji replies. 

"I'm so sorry, Benji. I'm so,  _ so _ sorry."

"I know. Me too, Felix. Uh, hey listen, I need you to do me a favor," the brunette begins.

"Yeah, anything," Felix responds.

"I need you to call everyone and tell them what happened. I have to get to the hospital and… I-I don't think I can deliver one more piece of bad news to anybody else today."

"Of course. Do… his parents know?"

Benji swallows. "Yeah, I just told his mom, and his dad was there too, I guess."

"Okay. I'll call Mia, Lake, and Andrew now, and then I'll get a Lyft to the hospital. Do you need anything else?"

"No, but thank you. So much."

"Of course buddy. I'll see you soon."

"Okay, bye." Benji hangs up, heaving a huge sigh and putting his face in his hands, arms resting on his knees. He realizes how  _ exhausted  _ and  _ drained _ he feels, as if he's just run a marathon. Actually, more like two marathons. In a row.

The high schooler then stands up with a groan and proceeds to walk to his car several blocks away. Benji's license suspension ended two weeks after the school dance, and he remembers marking the occasion by taking Victor for a drive around Atlanta. He smiles slightly at the memory as he lowers himself into the driver's seat. Benji sniffles softly, adjusting his mirror as he does so. 

He takes a glance at his disheveled appearance: red, puffy eyes, tear-stained cheeks, hair falling in front of his face. He also notices a few brown spots and streaks on his once bleach-white t-shirt, making him tense. He will have to go home and burn this shirt later so he is never reminded of this experience again, but for now, he has one objective: going to the hospital.

Benji starts the car and begins his drive. He turns on the radio, thinking some music will help him get his racing thoughts under control.

But then he hears what song is currently playing.

_ Hey, I just met you _

_ And this is crazy, _

_ But-- _

Of  _ course _ it just HAD to be that song.

Benji quickly shuts the radio off. He can't bear to hear any more of the melody. Any other time he would have kept it on and possibly even turned the volume up, wearing a goofy smile and doing a slight 'rump shake' to the music. He would exaggerate even more if Victor was in the car with him, and the two teens would no doubt be singing along, because they know every single word.

But at this moment, all that song makes him feel is despair.

Because Victor isn't in the car with him. And he isn't just a phone call away like usual. He's not shooting Benji his gorgeous, radiant smile, or a text with one too many heart emojis.

Benji can feel the lump in his throat returning. He wonders if it ever really left to begin with.

The brunette doesn't have the heart to turn the radio back on, because if there's even a slight chance that song will play again and remind him of what he doesn't have, what he  _ can't _ have, then Benji will not take the chance.

So he continues driving in silence, all the way to Northside Hospital.

Where Victor, his sweet, amazing, beautiful Victor, will be waiting for him.

And hopefully, Benji thinks with a deep, shuddering breath, he will be very much  _ alive _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know they're isn't much interesting stuff happening in this chapter, but the phone calls were necessary to advance the story, and I want everybody slowly meeting each other at the hospital to be its own separate chapter. Hope you understand and you liked the update anyway!
> 
> I haven't started writing the next update yet and I'm about to go to sleep (it's like 1:30am and I've been awake since 5:30am lol), but I'll start writing in the morning/afternoon and should be able to get chapter 6 out no later than Sunday!
> 
> P.S. : Northside Hospital is a real place located in Atlanta. I didn't really want to make up a name (I suck at that lol) so I looked up hospitals in Atlanta and I liked the way Northside sounded. So..yeah haha
> 
> As always, thank you for all the amazing comments.
> 
> Love you, see you soon!


	6. Chapter 6

When Benji arrives at the hospital, he sees that the Salazar family is already there. Pilar has Adrian in her lap, one arm wrapped around the boy’s shoulders and the other sitting on the arm rest, elbow bent as she holds her head up with her hand. Armando is in the chair to the right, elbows resting on his knees and his hands folded in front of his face, anxiously twiddling his thumbs. He’s bouncing his right leg up and down rapidly. Isabel is standing, eyes turned down and arms crossed as she paces back and forth along the white tiled floor, heels clicking with every step.

Her head immediately shoots up when she sees Benji. The mom of three notices just how  _ miserable _ the teenager looks, and her expression turns sympathetic.

“Oh, mi amor,” she breathes, sadness etched into her words. She holds out her arms. “Come here.”

Benji immediately collapses into her loving embrace, face pressed against her shoulder, and all the built up emotions the high schooler has been holding back ever since calling Felix spill out all at once.

He sobs, shoulders heaving and hands trembling. He tightens his grip on Isabel’s body as wave after wave of strangled cries make their way out. This continues on for two minutes, Isabel rubbing soothing circles into his back and whispering calming words into his ear the whole time. When Benji finally calms down enough to staunch the flow of tears, he feels better, lighter. Man, he needed a good hug like that one. Benji pulls away from Isabel, and looks at her face. He notices her eyes are wet as well, and she brings up the sleeve of her cardigan to wipe them. Benji does the same to his own red-rimmed eyes.

Looking at Isabel, he gives her a smile. It’s a small one, but it’s completely genuine.

“Thank you,” he says with so much sincerity that Isabel almost begins to tear up again.

“Of course, cariño.” They share one more tender hug before Benji hears the hospital doors open behind him.

He turns around, a small smile forming when he sees Felix walking up to him. Felix wordlessly envelops the shorter boy in a huge embrace, patting his back. Benji sighs into the taller male’s shoulder.

“He’s gonna be okay, Benji,” Felix says. Benji nods, but he knows that Felix is just saying that to make him feel better. Probably to make himself feel better, as well. Still, the brunette sincerely hopes that what Felix said turns out to be true. He knows Victor is strong, but he prays he’s strong enough to not let this take him.

Because Benji doesn’t think he would ever be the same if Victor didn’t make it. Heck, none of Victor’s loved ones would, because he is the shining light in all their lives. 

And they would be left in the dark if that light were to be snuffed out.

Felix gives Benji an affectionate squeeze on the arm and tells him that Mia, Lake and Andrew are on their way before turning his attention toward Isabel, Adrian, and Pilar.

A few minutes later, the doors open again, and this time, Mia and Lake walk through them. It turns out Lake had been over at Mia's house for a girl's night, taking advantage of Mr. Brooks and Veronica being out, when Felix called. They immediately rushed over to Northside, immensely worried for their friend.

They both take turns comforting Benji before moving on to the Salazars, much like Felix did.

Andrew arrives shortly after, walking over to Benji and giving him a gentle squeeze on the shoulder and a sympathetic look. Benji knows Andrew isn’t much of a hugger, so he’s just grateful for the gesture. The basketball player then moves to the rest of the group.

Benji watches as Victor’s friends and family interact. Felix is talking with Pilar, occasionally putting his hand on her shoulder when she needs some extra comfort. Adrian is still sitting on her lap. He’s silent, but Benji can see the distress written on his young face.

Mia stands with Andrew and Lake, talking to Isabel. At the moment, they seem to be trying to keep the Latina from breaking down in tears as she talks.

Armando is still sitting in his chair, hands still clenched, body still tense, foot still tapping.

No one, Benji notices, is smiling.

_ ‘Why would they be?’ _ Benji thinks bitterly.

The brunette shifts his thoughts over to the next thing he should do. Even though he is going to hate it, even though the thought of it makes his stomach do flips, even though he would rather do  _ anything else _ , he knows it has to be done.

He has to give everyone the full story of what happened. They deserve to know. And now feels like the best time to Benji.

So, he steels himself, walks over to the group, and loudly clears his throat, hoping it will get everyone’s attention. It does.

Now that everyone’s eyes are on him, Benji feels a wave of anxiety wash over his body. Can he really do this? Can he really retell the events of the night in detail once more? He has to try, at least.

“Everyone, I...” Benji glances at the floor, taking a deep breath. “I want to tell you all what happened today.” Benji looks at everyone’s faces, and sees nothing to deter him from continuing, so, with a heavy heart, he does.

“Victor and I were walking down the street after our dinner date, holding hands. He started to compliment me, and that made me want to… kiss him,” Benji glances at Armando instinctually, seeing him tense a bit at Benji’s mention of the word ‘kiss.’ But he continues anyway.

“But Victor didn’t want to do it out in the open, so we kept walking and found an alleyway, which I pulled him into.” Benji sighs. “And before we knew it, a man confronted us. He was homophobic and very, very drunk. Then he pulled out a gun. We wanted to run, but the guy was blocking our only way out. And we didn’t want to call for help because we were afraid of making the man do something rash. So, we just stood there, hoping that the man wouldn’t shoot. But... we didn’t get our wish.” Benji notices everyone seems to be holding their breath at this point, and Benji can feel his eyes begin to water.

“The man suddenly pointed his gun at me, and I froze. Before I knew it, the man pulled the trigger, but I wasn’t the one who got hit… because… because V-Victor pushed m-me out of the w-way.” Tears are flowing freely down Benji’s cheeks now, his breath hitching in his throat as he chokes out the last words. He continues through the tightness in his chest and the lump in his throat.

“He sav-saved me, and h-he was on the g-ground, and I t-turned him over, and t-there w-was so mu-much  _ blood _ .” He is sobbing now. “And I tr-tried to keep hi-him a-awake, but he passed o-out, and the p-paramedics took him, and he w-was so  _ still _ , and I’m sorry, I’m so so so  _ sorry _ , it’s all my fault--” Benji’s hysterics are interrupted by a pair of arms wrapping around him.

Isabel has Benji locked in her warm embrace, and Benji can feel that she’s crying, as well.

Felix, Mia, and Lake join the hug seconds later, and Benji’s heart swells at the sheer amount of love he feels in this moment. He’s so blessed to have such wonderful people in his life who comfort him even though they’re probably hurting just as much as he is.

They all pull away after about a minute, every person involved in the hug wiping their eyes. Benji can see that Pilar, Adrian, Armando, and even Andrew’s eyes are watery, as well.

Isabel then puts her hand on his tear-stained cheek, forcing him to look into her eyes.

“Thank you for telling us what happened, Benji, I know it must have been hard. But you need to listen to  _ me _ now, mijo. What happened is  _ not _ your fault. You did nothing wrong, and have  _ nothing _ to be sorry for.” She gives Benji a small, reassuring smile.

Benji nods, giving her a smile in return, murmuring a quiet ‘thank you.’

She gives him one more short hug before turning around to check on Pilar and Adrian.

Benji then notices Armando has gotten out of his chair and is walking towards him, an unreadable expression on his bearded face. Benji finds himself involuntarily becoming rigid when the man stands in front of him.

“Um, hi, Mr. Salazar,” Benji says, eyes darting from the floor to the taller man's face.

“Benji,” Armando begins. “Can we talk for a minute? In private?”

Benji nods, and the two males walk out through the sliding glass doors and into the cool Spring air. Benji tenses in nervous anticipation. Him and the man don’t exactly have the best relationship, after all, so the teen fears the father will do the exact opposite of what Isabel did and blame him for what happened to Victor. Benji holds his breath as Armando opens up his mouth to speak.

“First of all, I am so sorry this happened, Benji,” the man begins. Benji is a bit taken aback by the sympathetic words. Armando turns his gaze to the ground before continuing.

“And I know we haven’t ever been on… the best of terms. I’m sorry for that, I truly am. It’s just, with the way I was raised and with the way I was taught to think… well, I didn’t give you a fair chance.” Armando looks back up at Benji.

“But I was so stubborn and stuck in my ways that it took me two months and a  _ lot _ of convincing from both Isabel and Pilar to get me to realize that fact.” He sighs. “So yesterday, I decided I would come down and try to get to know you better, you know, give you a fair shot, since I’ve been avoiding doing that for some time. I was also planning on talking to Victor about the way I’ve been acting, too. But… well, then all this happened.” Benji sees the father’s expression shift to one of sadness, and the teenager’s heart aches at the way Armando’s face falls.

“But seeing you up there, retelling the details of a  _ terrible _ situation no kid should have to be in, and seeing how emotional you were, how much you really  _ care _ about Victor, it really made me realize how foolish I was. I thought you would never be good enough for Victor, only a girl would. But now I see that I was wrong, and I should've made the effort to connect with you sooner. I should've tried to repair things with Victor sooner. Because…” Benji can see moisture gathering in the man’s eyes.

“Because the last words we ever said to one another were during an argument that  _ I _ caused, and… I don’t think I would be able to live with myself if I never got to apologize for not accepting my son for who he is,” Armando finishes. Benji can see a tear roll down his cheek, and the teen puts a hand on the man’s arm, trying to comfort him.

To Benji’s surprise, the man hugs him. It’s short, but Benji is grateful, taking the gesture as a sign that Armando’s heart is beginning to open up to the high schooler, even if it’s just a little. 

But he’s hopeful that with time, their relationship will grow and flourish, and Benji will finally be fully accepted by the Latino man. He smiles at this thought.

They hear the hospital doors open, and turn to see Felix peek his head out of the entrance.

“Hey, uh… doctor’s here,” Felix says. 

The two men nod and head inside. Benji sees the doctor, a tall woman with blonde hair, standing in front of the group. He feels nervous as he makes his way over, choosing to stand next to Isabel.

“Well, now that you’re all here, let’s begin,” the doctor starts. Everyone is holding their breath, silently praying that everything the woman has to say is good news.

“Victor made it out of surgery, and is now being moved into a room in the ICU, where he will be monitored closely.” The group shares a sigh of relief, Victor’s alive.

“We did have a few complications during the surgery, however. He lost a lot of blood, and we did lose him at one point,” the doctor continues. Isabel and Armando gasp at the horrifying realization that their son was technically  _ dead _ for a time, and some of the others shudder at the thought of Victor’s heart and breathing ceasing. Thank god they brought him back.

“We were able to get his heart started back up and get the bullet out with no further major issues during the surgery. However, due to the fact he lost so much blood and there wasn’t enough oxygen going to his brain for a time…” the doctor sighs, her eyes falling to the floor, and the whole group holds their breath and can feel their stomachs sink at the woman’s shift in tone and demeanor. They all wait with bated breath for the doctor to finish her sentence.

She looks up once more, expression laced with sympathy, and completes her statement.

“I’m sorry, but Victor Salazar is in a coma.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations: mi amor: my love  
> cariño: sweetheart (has other meanings too like dear, honey, baby, etc)  
> mijo: term of endearment used by an older person when referring to a younger one, means 'my son' but doesn't have to be  
> used by a direct family member
> 
> Wow this took a long time to write! But I'm finally done, yay!
> 
> The next update will be no later than Tuesday! (I will always tell you guys when the next chapter will be out in the notes like I'm doing here, so you will always know in the future!)
> 
> Btw I'm on the west coast of the United States (Pacific Time), in case any of you guys were wondering, you probably weren't lol
> 
> Thank you again for the feedback!
> 
> See you next time!


	7. Chapter 7

Benji’s blood runs cold. He’s frozen, unsure if what he just heard was real or if it’s some sick nightmare.

He hopes it’s the latter.

From Benji’s right, Isabel chokes out a small ‘what,’ and the doctor repeats herself, explaining again how it was caused by his brain not getting enough oxygen due to blood loss.

_ ‘So I didn’t imagine it, Victor is really…’ _ Benji thinks, feeling the weight of the news fully hit him. He collapses into a chair, putting his face in his hands and trying to ignore the pounding in his skull. He feels like crying again, but finds that he’s just too exhausted to do so.

A few minutes pass, and he feels a light pat on his shoulder. He looks up to see Felix standing in front of him.

“Hey, so the doctor says that we can all move up to the waiting room near the ICU. We have to hurry if we want to see him before visiting hours are over,” Felix says. He offers Benji a hand, knowing how physically and emotionally drained the young barista is. Benji takes the offer, standing up with a groan, and follows Felix and the others up to the third floor of the hospital where the ICU is located.

When they reach the waiting area, the doctors tell the group that only one person is allowed in the room at a time. They come up with the order they will go in, agreeing to keep the visits brief in order to give everyone equal time with Victor before visiting hours are over.

Naturally, Isabel is the first one to go.

The doctor leads her to her son’s room, and as the mother of three stares at the number engraved into the metal plate next to the door, 307, she finds herself becoming nervous. The woman has no idea what to expect when she opens the door, but she knows that whatever state Victor is in won’t be easy for her to deal with.

Still, she needs to do this. Steeling her nerves, Isabel slowly turns the handle, pushing the door open and stepping into the white-walled room.

There, looking pale and fragile, lies Victor. He’s hooked up to a ventilator which is helping the injured boy breathe, and in his left arm is an IV, providing him with necessary fluids. The only sound in the room is the steady beeping of the heart monitor Victor is also attached to.

Isabel’s hand rises up to her mouth, taken aback by just how  _ weak _ and  _ small _ her son looks, attached to all these machines fighting to keep him alive. She walks over to Victor’s right side, and pulls up a chair next to the bed. 

She gently takes Victor’s hand in hers, bringing it up to her lips and planting a kiss on her son’s knuckles.

“Oh, Victor, mi amor,” Isabel quietly says. She stares at his face, partially obstructed by an oxygen mask, and feels her heart clench at how  _ still _ Victor is. She reaches her hand up to stroke the boy’s hair and begins to sing a lullaby from Victor’s childhood. It’s a sweet song, all sung in Spanish, and she used to serenade Victor with it when he was having trouble sleeping, sick, or just having a bad day. Sometimes, the young boy would request for his mom to sing the song accompanied by the piano, and Isabel would always oblige.

Even though those days of lullabies and special piano performances are long gone, Isabel hopes that if Victor can hear her, the melody will bring back feelings of comfort and peace. She wants her son to feel safe and know that he’s not alone.

Finishing the song, Isabel lets a tear roll down her cheek before standing up, pressing a tender kiss to Victor’s forehead.

“I love you, Victor,” she whispers. Leaving the chair next to the bed for the next visitor, Isabel leaves the room, walking down the hallway and into the waiting area, letting Armando know that it’s his turn.

When the man enters the quiet room, he immediately feels his stomach do flips at the sight of his oldest son. Walking over to the bed and sitting down in the chair, Armando strokes a finger along Victor’s cheek. His mind immediately wanders to their last real conversation and how it turned into an all out fight, and moisture begins to well up in his eyes. He wishes he could take back what he had said. His mind was too clouded with hatred and confusion to really see how hurt his son was at his words. Armando has wanted to reconcile with Victor for some time, but let his pride get in the way.

And now, as he watches Victor breathe with the aid of a  _ machine _ , Armando wants nothing more than to give his son a bone-crushing hug and apologize for taking so long to give this whole ‘gay’ thing a chance, because it’s a part of who his son is, he knows that now. 

He may not be  _ completely _ comfortable with the idea of his son having a boyfriend, but Benji seems to really care about Victor, and his son took a  _ bullet _ for Benji, so he knows Victor really cares about Benji too. So, why not give them a chance?

_ ‘If Victor’s happy, that’s all that matters,’ _ Armando thinks. He wishes this thought crossed his mind when the two were in the middle of their big fight two months ago, because what he said to Victor most definitely did  _ not _ make the teen happy. Armando sighs.

“I’m sorry, mijo,” Armando says quietly. He strokes Victor’s cheek once more, and stands up, leaving the room to head back to the waiting area.

Next is Pilar.

Before she left the waiting room to go see Victor, her parents made sure to warn her, and all of the other children, that the sight of the unconscious teen may be a bit…  _ unsettling _ , or hard to handle. They wanted to prepare the younger individuals for what they were going to see, and reassured them that it's okay if they didn't want to visit Victor because of the state he's in. No one took them up on their offer, determined to see Victor no matter how bad he looks, except for one, the youngest Salazar.

Adrian, who had been mostly silent since his family received the news about the incident, immediately chimed in, and kindly declined seeing his big brother for the time being. He told Pilar to pass on a message to Victor for him. She said 'of course,' and headed towards room 307.

As the middle Salazar child now steps into Victor's room, she can see that her parent's warnings were justified. She's never seen her brother looking so…  _ lifeless _ before. The girl can feel her chest tighten as she walks over to her brother, stopping to stand on Victor's left side. She places a hand on his arm, sighing softly.

It breaks her heart to see her big brother like this. Growing up, he had always been the strong one. The one who was always there for her when she needed him. The one who always had a funny joke or a silly story to cheer her up. The one who she could count on, the one who was always so  _ strong _ . Oh, how things can change in an instant. She saddens at the fact that the one who was always so strong now looks so weak, so frail. She knows she has to be there for  _ him _ now, she has to be the strong one to help get him through this. To help get herself through this.

"Hey, don't forget I still need a big brother to boss me around, so don't die on us yet, 'kay? I don't want to have to handle mom and Adrian all by myself," Pilar says sadly, a lump forming in her throat. She squeezes Victor's arm and turns to leave, stopping when she remembers Adrian's message.

"Oh, and Adrian wanted me to tell you that he wants you to make him pancakes when you wake up, and that he loves you." She wipes the moisture from her eyes and turns to leave once more, walking back to the waiting area.

Felix is next.

The boy steps into the room, walking over to the chair and sitting down, resting his hands on the hospital bed's mattress, fingers interlocked.

He looks Victor up and down, taking in the sights and sounds of the various machines the injured boy is hooked up to. His eyes fall back to the dark-skinned teen's face, and he finds his mouth, surprisingly, morph into a slight smile.

It's not that this situation warrants this kind of facial expression, of course. But he can't help but feel relief at the fact that the unconscious boy looks so  _ peaceful _ . He may not look  _ healthy _ , but Felix is just so glad that the boy doesn't look to be in any pain. That was his biggest fear when he was waiting to visit his friend.

He knows what pain looks like, he sees it on his mom's face all the time on days when her depression is at its most severe and she thinks Felix isn't looking. He  _ hates _ seeing his mother on those days, she looks so… broken. Felix doesn't want to witness anybody else wear that expression for as long as he lives. So, yeah, he is smiling a little, because Victor  _ doesn't _ seem to be in the severe discomfort Felix feared he was going to be in, and that is really all he wanted. 

It gives him hope that things will get better.

And Felix needs that hope if he's going to keep his spirits up. He's always been an optimist, a guy who always tries to make people laugh and always tries to be cheerful. And right now, he knows that everyone needs someone with a glass half full kind of attitude.

Everything is going to be okay. Victor will be okay. He  _ has _ to make it.  _ He will make it _ .

This mantra repeats in Felix's head as he stands up, smile falling from his face as he opens his mouth to speak.

"I know it's hard, buddy, but you've got to stay strong, okay? We're right here with you, and we're all eager to talk to you again, so don't keep us waiting too long, yeah?" Felix sighs. "Love ya, bestie. See you around." He turns toward the door, stepping out into the hospital hallway and makes the short trip back to where the others are. On the way, he repeats that same mantra in his head.

Next up is Mia.

The girl steps into the room, taking in the sights and sounds before her. She bites her lip, walking over to Victor's right side and choosing to stay standing, hands resting on the side railings of the hospital bed.

As she stares down at her friend's motionless form, she can't help but find herself becoming emotional. She's worried, to say the least.

When Mia's mom left, the young woman felt as if a chunk of her heart was ripped out, like she lost a huge, integral part of her life. And then there was the cherry on top of the messed up sundae: her mom didn't even give her a proper goodbye, just some shitty silent phone call. She remembers how she felt back then, betrayed, hurt, but mostly just…  _ sad _ . It was a sickening feeling, one she never wants to feel again.

But now, gazing down at Victor, the one who was so close to death just a few hours ago, the one who actually  _ died _ on the operating table at one point, the one who is lying there, unconscious, she hopes from the bottom of her heart that her friend won't do the same thing her mom did to her. She hopes that he won't let this take him, that he won't just leave without saying goodbye, leaving her with an important piece of her life missing. She doesn't think she can handle that. Not again.

Mia wordlessly leans down and presses her lips to Victor's forehead. Wiping the moisture from her eyes, she glances at her friend's still face once more before exiting the room and heading back to the others, letting Lake know it's her turn.

The Creek Secrets blogger lets out a sigh upon seeing Victor, and her eyebrows turn upwards, indicating her worry at the sight of her friend. She walks over to the left side of the boy, hands clasped in front of her. She purses her lips before speaking.

"Hey, so I'm not really sure what to say, I don't even know if you can hear me, but... I believe in you, Victor. I believe you can make it through this. Because if you don't, it will make Mia and Felix very sad, and we can't have that. So, do your best, 'kay?" Lake gives the boy a small, sad smile before turning to leave.

It's Andrew's turn now.

The basketball player isn’t big on sentimentality, so he finds it hard to come up with the right words to say to the unconscious Victor as he now sits by his bedside. The tall boy has his head down, elbows resting on his knees, hands interlocked in front of him. Thinking he should just say whatever comes to his mind, Andrew begins.

“Hey, Salazar. Look, I’m not really good at this whole ‘sappy speech’ thing, so…” The boy sighs. Victor’s in a coma, he probably can’t even hear him. But, Andrew continues anyway, looking up at his friend.

“Uh, just stay strong, alright? I won’t forgive you if you hurt Mia again, you know. And I still haven’t gotten you back for that shot you got on me in practice last week.” During the last basketball practice before the school year ended, Victor had scored a hoop, right over Andrew’s head. They were going to have a rematch on Monday at the local park.

Andrew stands up, resting his hand on Victor’s shoulder for a few seconds before pulling away and walking back to the waiting area.

Lastly, it’s Benji’s turn.

The brunette holds his breath as he quietly opens the door, preparing himself for what Victor might look like. When he forces himself to look at the comatose boy, Benji exhales, feeling tears beginning to prick his eyes once more. He slowly heads over to the chair, lowering himself into it, and takes Victor’s right hand in both of his own. Rubbing circles into the back of his boyfriend’s hand with his thumb, he looks the teen over.

Benji finds that there is a mixture of emotions going on inside of him. On one hand, he feels despair and sadness at seeing the love of his life this way, fighting for his life in a hospital bed. But on the other hand, he just feels  _ relief _ . Relief at how much of a stark contrast the white sheets and the painless expression on Victor’s face are with the crimson liquid that seemed to cover everything and the look of pure  _ agony _ etched into the dark-skinned boy’s features just a few hours ago.

Benji’s mind then wanders to what his boyfriend said right before he lost consciousness, and his eyebrows furrow at the fact that Benji hadn’t gotten the opportunity to say those three words back while Victor was still awake. Benji doesn’t know if Victor can hear him in his comatose state, but if there’s a chance that Victor will take a turn for the worse, then Benji wants to tell the boy how he feels while he still can. Taking a deep breath, Benji tightens his grip on Victor’s hand.

“Hey, Vic. I hope you can hear me. Listen, I… I  _ need _ you to get through this. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I know that my life wouldn’t be the same without you. These past two months we’ve been together have been the best two months of my life. I love sharing my secrets with you, I love spending time with you, I love kissing you, I love hugging you, I love working at Brasstown with you. But most of all…” Benji raises his left hand to caress Victor’s cheek.

“I love  _ you _ , Victor Salazar. I love you so much I can’t  _ stand it _ ,” Benji feels a tear drip down his cheek. “So  _ please _ , wake up soon. For your family, for your friends, and for  _ me _ .” The barista gives Victor’s hand a loving squeeze before standing up, eyes lingering on Victor’s beautiful face.

Then he hears a chime coming from a small table next to Victor’s bedside. Benji turns in the direction of the sound, eyes noticing Victor’s phone sitting on the grey surface. He grabs it, turns it on, and immediately sees the reason for the chime: three unread DMs from Simon Spier.

_ ‘Shit, I totally forgot about Simon and the others,’ _ Benji thinks frantically. Victor had told him about his gay guru and his friends in New York a few days after the school dance. Needless to say, Benji was very excited, I mean his boyfriend was friends with  _ the _ Simon Spier, gay legend of Creekwood. Oh yeah, he was elated.

About two weeks later, Victor surprised him with bus tickets to New York, and they both rode down to spend the weekend with everyone. Benji got along great with the gang, and they spent the weekend visiting various spots around the city. That was the last time they all saw each other in person, but Benji has been keeping in touch with Simon through Instagram, although not as much as Victor has. 

He knows that Victor told Simon about their date and promised to let him know how it went, so Simon is probably curious as to why the Latino boy hasn’t messaged him yet. Sure enough, when Benji unlocks Victor’s phone and reads the messages, Simon seems to indeed be eager to get a message from the now unconscious boy.

Sighing, Benji places Victor’s phone back down, pulls out his own phone, opens up Instagram, and types up his own message for the college student.

_ Hey, Simon. _

_ I know Victor hasn’t messaged you about our date like he was supposed to. That’s because something happened. He was shot in the stomach, and is now in the hospital. He’s in a coma. And I don’t know when he’ll wake up. Or if he will wake up. _

_ Benji _

The brunette finishes the message. It’s short, but he conveyed the necessary information and the teen doesn’t really want to write out all the details. That would hurt too much.

Not a minute later, Benji gets a message back.

_ Benji, _

_ Oh my god. That’s terrible. I don’t know what to say other than I’m so, so sorry. Bram and I are going to get the first flight to Atlanta tomorrow and we’ll be there as soon as we can. Hang in there Benji, it’s going to be okay. Remember, I’m always here if you need anything. See you soon. _

_ Love, Simon _

Benji exhales, sliding his phone back into the front pocket of his jeans. He looks back at the comatose Victor, grabbing his hand and giving it a soft kiss.

“I love you baby,” he whispers, and turns to leave, walking back to the waiting area.

The hospital only allows one family member to spend the night with ICU patients, so Isabel insists on staying. She’s met with no objections.

Everyone else goes home, exhausted and nervous for the days to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, that was a long one.
> 
> I'm going to be honest, this chapter was really hard to write. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to try and make everyone's interactions with Victor different, and make them fit the characters. I'm sorry if anyone is out of character in this chapter. And I know there are some aspects that are repetitive. But when you have like eight different people taking the same path, walking into the same room, sitting in the same chair or standing next to the same bed, looking at and thinking about the same person, things can get a little hard to make unique. But I hope this didn't ruin the chapter for you.
> 
> Anyways, I'm hoping to get the next chapter out no later than Thursday!
> 
> Love you, see you then!


	8. Victor and Benji Illustration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this isn't an actual chapter update! That will still be tomorrow (although it will probably be late in the day). I was inspired to draw my favorite boys and I wanted to share this with you guys! I hope you like it! (Btw I am aware that Benji kinda looks like Tom Holland, that was completely unintentional haha, and also I had no idea what outfit to put Benji in, so I just did a t-shirt lol)
> 
> I am super excited to share some of my art with you guys, if you want to see more, my Instagram is _camcreates_!
> 
> Let me know if you want to see more fanart of Victor and Benji, I was thinking about even drawing some scenes from this story, so let me know if that's something you want to see in between chapter updates!


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, Benji painfully drags himself out of bed. It’s early, 7:04 to be precise. He didn’t get much sleep last night, his mind was racing with ‘what ifs’ and he was overall too worried about Victor to really let himself rest. It didn’t help that every time he closed his eyes, the image of his boyfriend bleeding on the ground invaded his mind.

The teen gets dressed, putting on a simple grey shirt and jeans, and steps out into the kitchen. He knows he should eat something before he spends all day at the hospital, but his stomach is doing flips and he just isn't hungry. The boy grabs a banana anyway, eating it quickly despite his stomach's protests, and then proceeds to brush his teeth and does a final mental checklist before heading towards the front of his home. Grabbing his car keys, Benji walks out his front door and down to where his car is parked.

As Benji is about to start the ignition, he hears a chime from his phone. It's Simon.

_Benji,_

_Bram and I are just getting on our flight now. If all goes smoothly, we should be in Atlanta in about 2 and a half hours. We're going to head straight to the hospital when we land. Can you give me the name of the hospital when you get the chance? Thanks. See you soon._

_Love, Simon_

Benji types in a quick reply along with the name and address of the hospital and hits send. Putting his phone on his car's center console, he turns the key, starts the engine, and begins his drive.

Upon arrival, he heads straight up to Victor’s room. Knocking on the door, he hears a soft ‘come in’ and steps inside. Benji is greeted by Victor’s parents, the only ones besides himself in the room. The hospital allows more than one visitor in the room at a time after the crucial first night is over.

Isabel is sitting in the chair by Victor’s bed, and Armando is on the pull-out bed that Benji assumes Isabel slept on last night. Benji notices just how exhausted they look. It seems like they didn’t get much sleep, either. His eyes drift to Victor, looking about the same as he did the night before. Benji sighs.

Putting his keys down on a table in the corner, Benji then wonders where the two youngest Salazars are.

“Hey, where are Pilar and Adrian?” Benji asks.

“Oh, Pilar is taking Adrian out for the day. She wanted to cheer him up,” Isabel responds. Benji’s face softens, and he nods in understanding.

_‘Poor Adrian, he probably doesn’t know how to handle what's going on right now,’_ Benji thinks sadly. 

He pulls up a chair and sits down on Victor's left side. There is another knock on the door, and a doctor enters. He checks Victor over, and tells the three visitors that the boy’s condition is stable for now, but they will closely monitor him over the next few days. He reassures them that if there are no complications within the next week, Victor has a very high chance of waking up within the next few weeks after, since he suffered no real brain damage. It's just a matter of giving him time and he will wake up when his body tells him to. The doctor also said to keep talking to Victor, as a lot of comatose patients can in fact hear what others are saying.

"Maybe some encouragement will help him to wake up faster," the doctor says with a smile. Isabel thanks the man and he leaves to check on other critical patients.

For the next two and a half hours, the three conscious occupants of the hospital room pass the time by either sitting in silence, whispering reassuring words to the unconscious Victor, or engaging in conversations about various topics: Victor's childhood, their favorite memories with him, etcetera. At one point, Armando even asks Benji about how his relationship with Victor is doing. The teen is obviously a little surprised by this question, but answers it anyway, saying how Victor is the best thing that's ever happened to him, how they can always make each other smile, and other things. Armando seems genuinely interested all the way through, not giving Benji any disgusted or uncomfortable looks like he so often used to. 

The man even asks a follow up question about Benji's life in general. Again, Benji is surprised by this, but he feels relieved and happy knowing Armando is actually putting in the effort to get to know him better. So, again, he answers, and this topic of conversation continues up until Benji hears a chime from his phone.

Another message from Simon.

_Benji,_

_We just got off the plane and should be at the hospital in about thirty minutes. See you then._

_Love, Simon_

Benji smiles a bit at the thought of seeing Simon and Bram again, even if it's not under the best circumstances. He looks up from his phone, letting Armando and Isabel know that the two will be here shortly. 

Victor had told his mom about Simon and everyone else in New York not long after he came out, and she was thrilled that Victor had so many people he could talk to about everything going on. Armando found out about them from Isabel. He wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about them as Isabel was, though the man has since warmed up to the thought of Victor having people he relates to and who support him unconditionally, especially since Armando himself hasn't been there for Victor like he should have.

So when Benji tells Victor's parents that Simon and Bram are on their way, they are excited to finally meet Victor's 'gay sherpas.'

Thirty minutes later, there is a soft knock on the door, and after Isabel says 'come in,' Simon Spier and Bram Greenfeld step into the quiet room.

"Hey," Simon says, giving everyone in the room a little wave. Bram greets them with a small smile.

"Hey," Benji replies, standing up and embracing them both in a hug. They pull apart, and the two college students immediately switch their focus to the comatose Victor. Their eyebrows knit together in concern for their young friend.

Walking up to the foot of the bed, Simon greets Isabel and Armando.

"Hi, I'm Simon," he says, holding out his hand. Isabel stands and shakes it with a small smile; Armando does the same. "And this is my boyfriend Bram." They, too, exchange handshakes.

"It's very nice to meet you both, Victor has told me a lot about you and your friends," Isabel says, sitting back down in her chair. "And I wanted to personally thank you for being there for my son."

"Of course, Ms. Salazar. He's a really great kid, and we are always happy to help him," Simon says. "Right, Bram?"

"Right," Bram affirms. The dark-skinned male then turns his attention to Victor.

"How is he?" Bram asks, walking over to the bed's left side. Simon follows, standing next to his boyfriend and gently taking Victor's hand in his own.

"Well, the doctor told us he's stable, but they don't know when he'll wake up," Benji says with a small sigh. "You can talk to him, if you want. Let him know you're here," he offers. Bram and Simon look at each other, and Bram nods encouragingly. Simon gazes back down at the still boy.

"Hey, Vic," he begins. "It's Simon. I, uh… I'm so sorry this happened. But I just wanted to say that I love you, and I _know_ you're strong enough to get through this." His eyes begin to water, and Bram grabs his hand. It's his turn to speak.

"Victor, it's Bram. I believe in you too. You're amazing, and I'm so glad that Simon met you. Because I can't imagine my life without you, none of us can. Me, Simon, Justin, Ivy, Kim, we all love you so much you have no idea. So wake up soon, okay?" Bram feels his own eyes tear up, and looks over at Simon, who now has tears rolling down his cheeks.

Bram pulls his boyfriend into his embrace, and they stay like that for a while before Bram breaks the hug, gazing into Simon's eyes and wiping away a tear with his thumb. Simon smiles gratefully, and plants a quick kiss on Bram's lips.

They both turn to the other three people in the room, and they are met with sympathetic smiles. The college students can see that all three pairs of eyes are wet, as well.

Benji offers them a seat, and Simon lets everyone know that he and Bram have to get back to New York, so they are catching a flight at 9:15 pm. Benji is disappointed that they can't stay longer, but he understands.

They spend the rest of the day talking, reminiscing, and telling stories. Armando and Isabel take turns getting everyone food, and Mia, Felix, Lake and Andrew also stop by at different times throughout the day. Pilar and Adrian come back from their escapade around 6:00.

Before any of them know it, it's already 8:00 pm. Simon and Bram say their goodbyes, making sure to plant kisses on Victor's forehead before they leave, and head to the airport. Simon told Benji to update him every single day until Victor wakes up.

There was no hesitation or any waver in Simon's voice when he said this. The confidence he had, not even mentioning the fact that there's a chance Victor might _not_ wake up, made Benji's heart swell. If Simon doesn't have any doubts, why should he?

So even as a whole week goes by with no changes, Benji never for a second gives up hope that one day soon, Victor is going to open his eyes. 

And Benji wants to be by his side when he does.

So every day, Benji comes to the hospital first thing in the morning and stays straight through until visiting hours are over, talking to Victor and encouraging him to wake up. He never does, but the high schooler refuses to give up hope.

Benji, who transferred back to Victor’s Brasstown not long after the dance, told Sarah the situation over the phone the day after Victor's hospitalization. She was understandably concerned and more than a little frantic about one of her best employees being in the hospital, but she told Benji he could take as much time as he needed to be with Victor, and she hoped that they would both be back at work soon.

Eleven days after the incident, Victor is moved out of the ICU and into a private room on the first floor.

And now, two whole weeks after his boyfriend was shot, Benji sits by his bedside, holding his limp hand. No one else is currently in the room, Isabel is out getting food with Pilar and Adrian and Armando is finishing up his last few minutes of work before calling it a day and heading back to the hospital. Mia, Felix, Andrew and Lake are all out getting gifts for Victor when he wakes up.

The room is quiet, the only sounds being the heart monitor and Victor’s steady breathing. Benji sets his gaze on his boyfriend’s face, no longer being obstructed by an oxygen mask. Benji’s eyes fall on Victor’s closed ones. 

Oh, how he wishes they would open. 

Benji desperately wants to see those beautiful brown orbs again. He wants Victor to answer him back when he talks. He wants to joke with him again. He wants to kiss him again, hug him again.

He just wants Victor Salazar _back_.

“Y’know, I just found out earlier that they caught the guy that did this to you,” Benji says. He receives no response, as usual. “Yeah, they said he’s gonna spend seven years in prison. Not enough time, if you ask me,” Benji continues bitterly. He turns his gaze towards the floor, squeezing Victor’s hand a bit tighter.

“I really miss you, Vic. I… I’ve been trying to keep a positive attitude about this whole thing but… it-it’s getting a little hard to manage, y’know? And, I just _really_ need you to wake up, because I don’t know how much longer I can stand seeing you like this. I don’t want to keep being apart from you.” Benji blinks away the tears starting to form in his eyes.

“So… so _please_ , for me, just wake up. _Wake up_.”

Benji then feels something he hasn’t felt since the incident.

Victor’s fingers are tightening around his own.

Then Benji hears a groan, and a sigh. His head whips up to stare at his boyfriend’s face, and his eyes go wide.

They’re _open_ . Victor’s eyes, which closed two weeks ago and haven’t opened since, are _finally open_.

And they’re looking right at him.

Benji almost bursts into sobs right then and there when Victor flashes him the most _beautiful_ smile, and opens up his mouth to speak his first words in fourteen days.

“Hey, handsome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me so long! But I hope it was worth the wait!
> 
> I don't love every single thing about this chapter, I think some things could have been worded better, etc. but I hope it doesn't take away from your enjoyment.
> 
> Also, I know Simon and Bram's visit was short, but I didn't feel like it was, from a narrative standpoint, really necessary for them to stay longer. This is mostly about Victor and Benji, after all. So I decided to have them come in, say what they needed to say, and then get back to New York, because they probably have commitments over there anyways. I hope my decision doesn't upset anyone!
> 
> Anyways, I am going to take a little more time to get the next chapter out since I am going to be doing some stuff with my family this weekend and won't have as much time to write. So, expect the next chapter either Sunday or Monday! Hopefully i can get it done by Sunday, but we'll see.
> 
> Love you, see you next chapter!


	10. Chapter 10

“Victor…” Benji breathes, overwhelming relief etched into his voice. Benji wastes no time capturing his boyfriend’s lips in a tender kiss, being careful not to hurt the still-recovering boy.

They pull apart, gazing lovingly at one another, and Victor puts his right hand on Benji’s cheek, wiping away the moisture that had begun to form in the brunette’s eyes. Benji reaches up and takes Victor’s hand into his own, leaning into the touch. He smiles, bringing Victor’s hand down to his lips and placing a soft kiss on his boyfriend’s knuckles, gazing down at the bedsheets.

Victor smiles warmly, moving his right hand to intertwine their fingers, giving Benji a small squeeze. Victor looks at Benji’s face, and is suddenly confused when the brunette’s expression shifts from one of happiness to one of sadness and slight anger.

“Benji, what’s--”

“Don’t  _ ever _ do that again.” Victor is startled by the sharp tone of his boyfriend’s voice. His eyebrows knit together in confusion. Why is he so upset all of a sudden?

Benji shifts his gaze to stare directly into Victor’s eyes.

“Do you have  _ any idea _ how worried I was about you? For two weeks, I sat here, wondering if you would ever wake up again. And all that time, I couldn’t get the image of you lying there, bleeding out on the ground, out of my head.  _ Why _ \--” Benji’s voice hitches, and he lets out a small sob. Victor’s expression shifts to one of worry.

“Why d-did you have to t-take that bullet for me? Why did you have to be so  _ selfless _ ? I… I thought… I thought I was going to lose you,” he finishes, eyes now downcast and shoulders shaking with cries. Seeing Benji so upset makes Victor feel like bursting into tears, as well.

“Benji, I…” Victor sighs, bringing his hand up to Benji’s chin, forcing the boy to look at him. He smiles tenderly.

“I did it because I knew that if I didn’t do something, you would have gotten hurt. And… and I couldn’t  _ stand _ the thought of letting  _ anything _ happen to you. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I hadn’t pushed you out of the way like I did. You mean  _ far _ too much to me, Benji.”

Benji lets out a breathy laugh, expression softening.

“I know, and I’m sorry. I would’ve done the same thing for you. I’m just…” Benji sighs. “I’m just so glad you’re awake.”

“Yeah, me too,” Victor says. He squeezes Benji’s hand. “You know, I could hear what all of you were saying the whole time.” Benji’s eyes widen. He had hoped that Victor could hear what everyone was saying, but he was never completely certain.

“Really?” Benji responds, lips curling into a small smile.

“Yeah. I heard every word, I just… I couldn’t get myself to wake up. No matter how hard I tried, my body just wouldn’t listen. I’m so sorry it took me this long to come back,” Victor says apologetically.

“No, no, it’s not your fault,” Benji assures. Then his eyes widen in realization. If Victor could hear every word they were saying, does that mean…

“Wait, so you could hear everything?” Victor nods. “So you heard when I said…” Benji trails off, waiting for Victor to finish his thought.

“That you love me back? Yeah, I heard that loud and clear,” Victor says with a huge smile. Benji grins from ear to ear, leaning in for another kiss. They break apart, hands gently caressing each other’s cheeks, before they hear the door open. A doctor walks into the room, and smiles at the sight of Victor’s conscious form. She gives the boy a once-over, and then leaves the room.

Five minutes later, the door opens again. The four remaining Salazars, who reunited in the lobby a few minutes ago, step into the room, Isabel in the front.

“Hi, Benji, we’re back--” The mother of three halts in her tracks, eyes going wide and mouth dropping open in surprise at the sight before her. She brings a hand up to her mouth, running over to the bed. She is followed closely behind by the rest of the family, who are just as shocked as she is.

“Oh, Victor, mi amor, you’re awake!” Isabel exclaims, capturing her son’s face in her hands and planting several kisses on his forehead. Pilar and Adrian both tackle their brother in a hug, earning a half-pained chuckle from the bed-ridden boy and a light-hearted scolding from Isabel about not being so rough on poor Victor.

Armando hangs back, fondly watching his family rejoice over seeing Victor conscious, a small smile adorning his face. At one point, his son makes eye contact with him, but quickly looks away, making the man’s smile turn into a frown. He needs to make things right with Victor. Now.

Walking up to Isabel, he gently takes her aside and whispers in her ear. She nods, turning her attention back to the kids.

“Okay guys, how about we give your father and Victor some alone time?” Isabel suggests with a smile, motioning toward the door. Pilar and Adrian nod, following their mother out of the room. Benji looks from Armando back to Victor, who seems a bit tense. He gives his boyfriend a reassuring look and squeezes his hand before exiting the room. He knows Victor is nervous about being alone with his father, but Benji has experienced firsthand how much Armando has changed, so he’s not worried. Besides, Benji has to call the others and let them know the good news.

Armando approaches his son’s bed and proceeds to sit in the chair on the right side of Victor. The boy is still averting his gaze, which yields a sigh from his father.

“Look, flaco, I…” Armando begins hesitantly. “I have so many things I need to apologize for. I know that I said some hurtful words to you during our fight, and I need you to know that not a day went by that I didn’t regret what I said.” The sincerity in his father’s voice causes Victor to glance at Armando’s face, but only for a second.

“Back then, mijo, I… I didn’t understand what you were going through. I still don’t really understand it, to be honest, but I have come to terms with who you are, and I am ready to accept you, Victor. Every single part of you. And I realize now that’s what I should have done in the first place.” He places his hand on Victor’s, and the younger male again makes eye contact. But this time, he doesn’t look away.

“I am so, so sorry Victor. For everything I’ve said, for everything I’ve done. I thought that being the way you ar--” Armando cuts himself off “--being  _ gay _ \-- I thought it was just a phase. I was convinced that you would never be happy with anyone that wasn’t a girl. It was just the way I was taught to think my whole life. But these two weeks have made me realize how foolish that idea was. I’ve seen just how much Benji cares about you. And how much you care about him. And I am so thankful that you found each other, Victor. I really am. If he makes you happy, then that’s all that matters,” he finishes, giving his son a sincere smile.

These words leave Victor stunned, to say the least. He really didn’t expect for his father to even _apologize_ for everything he did, let alone accept him wholeheartedly.

But once the initial shock wears off, all Victor feels is happiness. He grins from ear to ear.

“Really?” Victor breathes out, a mixture of relief and excitement etched into his voice.

“Of course, son. Just don’t go jumping in front of any more bullets, okay?” This remark elicits a lighthearted chuckle from both males. Victor is ecstatic, this is the first time in quite a while that he’s laughed together with his dad.

“Thanks, Papi,” Victor says. Armando leans in and gives his son a gentle hug, accompanied by a few solid pats on his back. Victor buries his head into the crook of his father’s neck, still smiling.

He finally has his dad back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Hope you all had a great Fourth of July! (If you're in the US that is)
> 
> Sorry this is a shorter chapter, but we got two important conversations done, and I felt that I left it at a good place. Hope you enjoyed even if it wasn't long!
> 
> The next update will be Wednesday! (I may be able to get it out on Tuesday, but it all depends on how fast I can write while still balancing everything else I have to do haha)
> 
> As always, love you guys and I'll see you next time! Just two more chapters until this story is complete!


	11. Chapter 11

Armando holds Victor in his embrace for several minutes. They break apart, and the older man puts his hand on his son’s cheek before ruffling his hair, making Victor giggle. They both look over when the door opens, and Victor smiles when he sees Benji in the doorway.

Armando gives the brunette a fond smile before turning back to Victor.

“I’m going to go see what the family is up to, okay flaco?” Victor nods, and Armando stands up and walks toward the door, then pauses and turns around.

“Are you hungry?” He asks Victor.

“Uh, yeah, I could eat,” Victor responds. Armando turns to Benji.

“Do you want anything, Benji?”

“Sure, Mr Salazar. Thank you,” Benji says. Armando smiles.

“You know what, you can call me Armando.” Benji’s eyes widen in surprise before a smile splits his face.

“Oh, wow, um… well thank you, Armando.” The man gives Benji a pat on the shoulder before exiting the room, leaving the two boys alone once more.

“Woah. That was big, I was afraid you two would never be on a first-name basis,” Victor says teasingly. Benji chuckles and walks over to his boyfriend’s bedside, taking a seat in the chair and grabbing Victor’s hand.

“Well, I guess he’s warming up to me,” Benji says.

“Yeah, he actually is. Like, he actually seems to be really fond of you, Benji,” Victor says, his expression becoming more serious, letting Benji know that he’s speaking the truth. Benji is a bit taken aback.

“Oh, really? I didn’t think he really liked me  _ that _ much. Did you guys talk when it was just you two?” Benji inquires.

“Yup. He told me that he saw how much you care about me, and how much I care about you, and that made him realize that you are right for me. He said as long as I’m happy, he supports me one hundred percent. He also apologized for being like the worst dad ever for two months,” Victor finishes with a chuckle, making Benji crack up as well.

“Well, I guess it was only a matter of time before he fell for my charms.” He dramatically slicks his hair back as he says this, making Victor let out another laugh. Victor tightens his hold on Benji’s hand, expression turning serious. He sighs, making Benji’s eyebrows knit together in concern.

“What’s wrong?” Benji asks, leaning in slightly and making eye contact with the dark-skinned boy.

“I’m so sorry, Benji,” Victor starts. Benji is confused. Sorry for what? Saving him?

“It’s okay, Victor, I get why you took the bullet for me, and I already forgave you, so there’s no need--”

“I’m not apologizing for that. I don’t regret what I did, and I’m never going to say sorry for saving you. I’m apologizing for not having the guts to kiss you out in the open,” Victor says.

“Oh. Well, it’s okay Victor.” Benji tries to reassure him. 

Victor doesn’t feel the same way.

“No, it’s not okay. We have been dating for two months and this whole time I haven’t been able to get over my stupid fear of what random strangers will think. Because I couldn’t bring myself to kiss you in the open, I forced us to go into someplace more private, and that’s the reason all of this happened in the first place! I put you in danger just because of my ridiculous fears!” Benji’s heart breaks at how distraught his boyfriend sounds. He places his other hand on top of Victor’s.

“Hey, no, baby, it’s not your fault, okay? Being scared of what people think is completely natural, and I was self-conscious when I was first coming out too. And I was the one who wanted to kiss you when I knew you wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it out in the open. I should’ve just waited until we were in the car. That was selfish of me. But you were just so dang cute,” Benji finishes and gently boops Victor’s nose, causing the Latino boy to smile slightly. Victor sighs.

“I just… I want to be better. I want to get over all this paranoia and be myself, with you, even if there are tons of people around. I don’t want to hold myself back anymore, I don’t want to hold  _ you _ back anymore.” Victor gazes into Benji’s eyes and Benji can tell that his boyfriend is speaking with complete sincerity. He can’t help but grin.

“Are you sure?” Benji asks, although he already knows the answer.

“Of course I am. This whole situation has made me realize that at any moment, something awful could happen. And if I… if I don’t make it one day, I would hate myself for not fully being true to who I am. I don’t want to hide that part of my identity from anyone anymore.” Victor brings his right hand up after gently getting it out of Benji’s grasp, mimicking what people do when they’re swearing on the Bible in a courtroom, and looks Benji directly in the eyes.

“I, Victor Salazar, solemnly swear that from here on out, I will be completely open about my sexuality in public, haters be damned,” he says with dramatic flair, causing both of the boys to giggle. Benji raises his right hand.

“And I, Benjamin Campbell, solemnly swear that I will be right by your side every step of the way, and I will single handedly kick the ass of  _ anyone _ that tries to mess with you,” Benji says with equal dramatic flair, a warm smile on his face. Victor laughs, and pulls Benji in for a kiss.

Forty-five minutes later, Victor’s family returns.

“Hey boys, we brought food!” Isabel says enthusiastically. “Also, look who we ran into in the lobby!” She gestures behind her as the rest of the Salazars step away from the door frame.

“Surprise!” Felix, Mia, Lake, and Andrew all yell as they come into the room. Mia is holding a cake with the words ‘We Love You, Victor!’ written on it in blue frosting.

“Aww, guys!” Victor exclaims, grinning from ear to ear.

After the cake is safely set on a table, the four friends take turns embracing Victor and saying how glad they are that he’s finally awake. Mia, much to his amusement, tells Victor that Felix screamed like a girl and bounced up and down when he heard that Victor was conscious. Felix is embarrassed, but doesn’t deny this, making everyone burst out into laughter.

For the next hour, everyone sits around the room, eating food, joking, laughing, reminiscing, telling stories, and all around enjoying each other’s company. They are all so happy to have Victor back, nothing really felt the same without him.

Benji’s listening to one of Felix’s many stories when his phone starts to ring. Felix pauses his tale, turning toward Benji, everyone else following suit.

“Who’s callin’?” Felix asks. Benji’s face breaks into a grin when he sees who is calling--scratch that--facetiming him. It’s Simon Spier.

“Simon, he’s video calling me,” Benji replies. “I haven’t told any of them that Victor’s awake yet.” Everyone’s expressions immediately shift into ones of silent understanding and excitement. Benji looks up and presses a finger to his lips before pressing the ‘accept call’ button. Simon and Bram’s faces both appear on the screen. They can only see Benji at the moment.

“Hey, man, how are you holdin’ up?” Simon asks sympathetically. Benji tries his best not to smile and ruin the surprise.

“Uh, I’m alright. What compelled you guys to video call?” He asks.

“Oh, we just wanted to see your face again. We wanted you to see our faces, too, we thought we could cheer you up a bit,” Simon responds. Benji’s expression softens. They are so sweet.

“Did it work?” Bram asks with a small smile.

“Yeah, it worked,” Benji allows himself to give them a slight smile, still trying not to give anything away.

“Well, that’s good. How’s Victor doing?” Bram inquires, still oblivious. Benji quickly glances up at the rest of the room, who are all wearing giddy grins on their faces, obviously looking forward to hearing Simon and Brams’ reactions to seeing their prefrosh awake. The brunette looks back down at his phone, and can’t hold back the grin that begins to adorn his face.

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Before either of the college students can respond, Benji flips the phone around so Victor’s face appears on the screen.

“Hey, guys!” Victor exclaims, waving eagerly and shooting them a toothy grin, gently grabbing the phone from Benji.

The males are silent for a moment before the phone erupts with excited shouts, one after the other.

“OH MY GOD, VICTOR!” 

“MY BABY!” 

“WHAT THE HELL, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AWAKE?!” 

“JUSTIN, IVY, KIM, GET IN HERE!”

“I’M LITERALLY ABOUT TO CRY RIGHT NOW!”

“VICTOR, YOU’RE AWAKE! I’M SO RELIEVED YOU’RE OKAY!” 

“WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!” 

“WE WERE SO WORRIED!”

These screams of joy continue for another minute before Victor can calm the five NYU students and get them to quiet down. Victor chuckles at their raw enthusiasm.

“Wow, you guys are  _ that _ excited to see me, huh?” Victor says teasingly. All five people on the screen scoff, and Simon quickly chimes in with a retort.

“Are you kidding? We’ve barely gotten any sleep these past two weeks! We were too worried about you! You were  _ shot _ and in a  _ coma _ , Victor! So yes, we are  _ that _ excited to see you,” he says with a wide smile. Victor’s expression softens.

“Thanks, guys. Really. I love you all so much,” Victor says sincerely. The college students melt, their expressions shifting to ones that scream ‘awww’.

“WE LOVE YOU TOO, VICTOR!!” they shout in unison. Everyone in the room is grinning at the heartwarming exchange.

“Well,” Bram says, “we are so glad you’re okay, but it’s getting late, and I’m sure you’re tired. Call us tomorrow, okay?” Victor nods.

“Will do,” he says. “Bye, guys.”

“Bye, Vic.”

“Bye!”

“Bye, prefrosh.”

“Take care, Victor.”

“See ya!”

Victor presses the ‘end call’ button. He sighs contentedly and scans the room, smiling warmly at all the happy faces of his family and friends, who have all supported him through this whole ordeal. He feels incredibly lucky at this moment.

He has woken up from his two week coma. His boyfriend loves him back. His dad finally accepts him and Benji. Apart from the dull ache in his side and the fact that he is incredibly stiff from lying in bed all this time, Victor can see nothing wrong with this picture.

Yeah, everything’s going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! I think some of the conversations might have been a bit awkwardly written and the ending was a bit 'meh', but I hope you enjoyed this update anyway.
> 
> The final chapter will be posted sometime on Saturday (or maybe Friday, we'll see)! I also have some more art to show you guys, so look forward to that! I'm not sure if I'm going to post it before or after the final chapter though.
> 
> Anyways love you, see you next time!


	12. Chapter 12

A week later, Victor gets the all clear and is allowed to go home.

"Got everything, Vic?" Benji asks. He is helping Victor gather his belongings while Isabel pulls the car around to the front of the hospital. She wants Victor to walk as short of a distance as possible.

It's just Benji and Victor in the room, since Pilar and Adrian are at home and Armando is at work.

"Yeah, I think so," Victor responds. He does one last sweep of the room before turning to Benji and nodding, signaling that he indeed has everything.

"Alrighty then, let's get out of here," Benji says with a smile. Victor returns the facial expression, and the two boys exit the hospital.

Ten minutes later, the group of three arrives at Victor's apartment.

“Wooo, it feels so good to be back home!” Victor exclaims as he opens the door and steps into his house for the first time in almost a month. A wide grin is plastered on his face as he takes in all of the sights, sounds, and smells that make him feel so safe. Man, is he glad to be out of that white-walled hospital room.

Suddenly, Adrian comes running out of his room and crashes into Victor, enveloping his brother in a gleeful hug. Pilar comes out seconds later, giving her brother a wave and a sincere smile. Isabel takes the two youngest Salazars to the living room.

Benji and Victor turn right and head into Victor’s room, placing all of Victor’s belongings on his bed. The Latino boy jumps and lands on the bed next to them, laying on his back and looking up at the ceiling, legs hanging off.

"I've missed this bed," Victor begins, "Hospital beds just aren't the same." Benji chuckles.

"You're right about that. I couldn't wait to get back home to my bed when I was in the hospital," he says. The brunette sits down next to his boyfriend, causing Victor to sit up and make eye contact with him. Benji's face softens.

"I'm really glad you're home, Victor," Benji says. Victor smiles softly.

“Me too.” He leans in, planting a gentle kiss on Benji’s lips. They close their eyes and sigh contentedly as they press their foreheads together. Their heads snap up when they hear Isabel clear her throat. The mother of three is standing in the doorway, hand resting on her hip, a teasing smirk on her face.

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” she says jokingly. Victor rolls his eyes and Benji lets out a small laugh.

“Yes, Mami, you kinda are,” Victor says. Isabel chuckles.

“Well, forgive me for the intrusion, but I just wanted to borrow Benji for a moment,” she explains, gesturing at the boy in question. Benji looks surprised, but nods, following Isabel to the living room. Pilar and Adrian are told to go back to their rooms, and they quickly comply. Isabel sits down on the couch, and pats the cushion next to her, inviting Benji to do the same. He does, looking at Isabel expectantly. She gives him a warm smile.

“I wanted to say thank you for being there for Victor all this time, mi amor,” she begins. “You have been by his side every step of the way, holding his hand, making him feel safe, making him happy. And I can’t express how much that means to me. How much that means to all of us.” The Latina woman takes Benji’s hand in hers.

“And I hope you will continue to be by my son’s side for as long as possible. You two are meant for each other, I can feel it.” She squeezes Benji’s hand gently. Benji sighs, a joyful grin forming on his face.

“Thank you so much, Isabel. That, that really means a lot,” he says.

“Of course, cariño. I also wanted to ask you something.” Benji looks at her, a bit confused as to what question she could have.

“Would you like to spend the night? I’m sure it would do Victor some good to have you by his side on his first night home,” Isabel asks. Benji’s eyes widen, a wide grin splitting his face.

“Uh, yeah, I would love to,” he answers, trying not to sound too eager. Isabel nods.

“Okay then, go and let Victor know and I am going to make some breakfast for lunch. Bacon, eggs, pancakes, all the good stuff,” she says, standing up and heading towards the kitchen. Benji immediately hurries to Victor’s room, where he finds his boyfriend unpacking his belongings.

“Hey,” Benji says softly. Victor turns his head around, smiling.

“Hey,” he responds, standing up and turning to face his boyfriend. “So, what did my mom want to talk to you about?”

“Oh, she said thank you for being there for you all this time.” He walks forward and takes Victor’s hands in his. “She also thinks we’re meant for each other. I’m glad we share the same viewpoint,” Benji says, grinning. Victor grins back.

“Well, that’s… awesome,” he breathes. Benji squeezes Victor’s hands lightly.

“She also told me that I can spend the night,” he finishes. Victor’s face lights up immediately, his grin growing even wider.

“Really?” Benji nods. Victor pulls the shorter boy in for a hug, squeezing him tightly. “I’m so glad I get to spend more time with you,” Victor whispers into Benji’s ear, making the brunette’s heart both melt and pound at the same time. He pulls away from the hug just enough to give Victor a quick peck on the lips, then leads him to the bed, where they cuddle and talk until Isabel calls them for brunch.

The day seems to fly by from there, they have their food, watch a movie, play some board games until Armando comes home, have dinner, and finally return to their respective rooms to get ready for bed.

“You can borrow some of my pajamas,” Victor tells his boyfriend. Benji nods, grabbing a light grey t-shirt and some sweatpants. Without missing a beat, Benji gives his boyfriend a cheeky smirk and takes his shirt and pants off, changing into the sleepwear. The whole time, Victor is left speechless, admiring the brunette’s body. He can feel his face heating up.

Benji finishes, chuckling at the blush on Victor's cheeks, and hops into bed next to him. They both get under the covers, wrapping their arms around one another and gazing into each other’s eyes, smiling lovingly at one another.

“I love you, Victor Salazar,” Benji breathes, resting his forehead on Victor’s and bringing his body closer.

“And I love you, Benji Campbell,” Victor responds, hand reaching up to stroke Benji’s cheek. “And I always will.”

The two press their lips together in a tender kiss. They break apart, and Benji snuggles into Victor, resting his head on his boyfriend’s chest, sighing contentedly. Victor strokes Benji’s hair softly.

They can’t imagine being anywhere else, or with anyone else, at this moment.

Because they both know this is where they were always meant to be.

The two teens both fall asleep with smiles on their faces, excited for what lies ahead.

Whatever that may be, they know one thing for certain:

They will face it together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand, that's a wrap, folks!
> 
> I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for everyone who has read, commented, or liked this story. I had so much fun writing it and I hope I was able to end it on a satisfying note.
> 
> This was my very first fanfiction, so it really made me happy to hear all of your feedback and amazing comments. I'm glad I was able to write something that made your day just a bit better, or brought out some sort of emotion.
> 
> I will be posting some more drawings I did of Victor and Benji (scenes from this story actually), so stay tuned for that!
> 
> I love you all, thanks for reading!!!!


	13. Victor and Benji Illustration 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: BLOOD
> 
> Some scenes and sketches from the story, plus some cute chibis! Hope you like it!
> 
> PS: I know the drawing with Victor bleeding isn't completely accurate to the story, but it's more dramatic if I don't draw the blazer being held over his wound, plus I've never done blood digitally before, so I wanted to try it out


End file.
